VICVFX....one day at a time.....

Does Altitude Training Improve Sea Level Performance In Endurance Athletes?

2012-01-05T12:09:00.000Z

Physical training at altitude is thought to invoke similar physiological changes to those caused by endurance training at sea level. The adaptations considered most important for performance enhancement include increases in blood haemoglobin and myoglobin, improved buffering capacity and improved aerobic enzymes in the muscles.

It is postulated that the stress of hypoxic exposure, in addition to training stress will compound the training adaptations the athlete experiences and therefore be an advantage over sea level training (Wolski et al 1996).

Conclusion

Residing at altitude allows a number of potentially beneficial physiological, ventilatory, haematological and metabolic adaptations to occur. These adaptations are postulated to improve endurance exercise performance. While is widely supported that training at altitude enhances performance at altitude, there is much less support for the view that altitude training will improve sea level endurance performance.
It is now theorized that the reason that many studies found no improvement in sea level performance after altitude training is due to the fact relative deconditioning appears to occur while training at altitude, which may offset the potential beneficial changes resulting from altitude exposure.
Therefore a new strategy has been introduced where the athletes live at altitude but train at sea level. This approach allows both the beneficial adaptations of acclimatization to develop, as well as provide the opportunity to train without reducing power output during exercise. Therefore, this strategy is accumulating support from scientists, athletes, and coaches alike, as the most advantageous method for enhancing sea level performance in highly trained endurance athletes.
In conclusion, well trained athletes whose development has included adequate base preparation with regular, high intensity interval work, and have reached a plateau in their training response at sea level are likely to derive the most benefit from altitude training using the LHTL approach.

http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/resources/educational-resources/exphys/00/altitude.cfm#conclusion

Chocolate tem o mesmo efeito que fazer exercício

2012-01-04T10:53:00.002Z

E se o chocolate fizer tão bem como o exercício?

Os benefícios da ingestão de pequenas quantidades de chocolate preto já são bem conhecidas, mas um grupo de cientistas descobriu agora que o seu efeito nos músculos pode ser o mesmo do exercício físico.

Os investigadores norte-americanos envolvidos neste estudo concluíram que uma das substâncias encontradas no chocolate, a epicatequina, parece desencadear a mesma resposta muscular que o exercício vigoroso. Na base desta teoria estão as mitocôndrias, responsáveis pela produção de energia das células.

“As mitocôndrias produzem energia que é usada pelas células do corpo. Mais mitocôndrias implicam a produção de mais energia”, explica um dos cientistas, Moh Malek, da Universidade de Wayne State, em Detroit.

“Exercício aeróbico, como correr ou andar de bicicleta, aumenta o número de mitocôndrias nas células dos músculos. O nosso estudo descobriu que a epicatequina desencadeia a mesma resposta, sobretudo dos músculos cardíacos e esqueléticos”, sublinha o investigador.

Durante 15 dias, um tipo específico de epicatequina do cacau foi dado a ratos duas vezes por dia. Os roedores também faziam 30 minutos diários de treino.

Os investigadores concluíram que os animais que apenas recebiam epicatequina tinham a mesma capacidade física do que os que corriam.

Get Low

2012-01-03T22:20:00.000Z

It's about hip angle......

Shorter cranks can help you get comfortable in a more extreme aero position.

Hip angle—the angle between the rider’s torso and legs—might be the most important factor in determining a rider’s ability to comfortably produce power on a bike. Chances are you’ve experienced the significance of hip angle yourself. If you lower your shoulders either by crouching down or by dropping your bars, you will eventually reach a point at which pedaling becomes less comfortable and maintaining power is a struggle. Tri bike geometry is designed to help maintain a comfortable hip angle when riding in a crouched aerodynamic position, but even on a tri bike, all riders have a limit to how tightly they can crunch themselves at the hips. Raising the aerobars is the most common way to open hip angle, but this can compromise aerodynamics, handling and even limit the bikes you can ride. Crank length—not just frame geometry and aerobar position—impacts hip angle, yet most athletes riding triathlon-specific bikes are still using conventional road bike crank lengths. Mat Steinmetz, a Retül bike fitter in Boulder, Colo., measured the influence of crank length and aerobar drop on hip angle using Retül’s 3-D measurement system to see how crank length affects hip angle.

Although hip angle is typically measured between the ankle, hips and shoulders with the rider’s leg fully extended and the crank at the 6 o’clock position, hip angle at the most compact 12 o’clock position is the fit dimension that prevents most riders from lowering their bars.

Wider hip angle = more comfortable position
Steinmetz found that shortening the crank arms by 1cm opens hip angle by 2–3 degrees. Raising the aerobars by 2cm had approximately the same effect.

Use it yourself: If you are trying to lower your aerobars but can’t drop any farther, swap your cranks for a set with arms 1cm shorter and you might be able to drop your bars another 2cm below your saddle!

By Mat Steinmetz with Aaron Hersh

Aaron Hersh

Aaron Hersh is the Senior Tech Editor of Triathletemagazine. Aaron writes a column every Thursday for Triathlete.com called "Ask Aaron". To submit a question, write Aaron at Askaaron@competitorgroup.com.

Rock 'n' Train - winter training camp - Vila Real Stº António, Algarve, Portugal

2011-12-24T17:24:00.001Z

Um excelente estágio de "Inverno" com temperaturas a rondar os 20º e facilidades de treino de grande nível......

Encontrámos neste local uma variedade muito grande de atletas que escolheram esta altura do ano para vir treinar para o sul do nosso país......

Centro Desportivo de Vila Real de Stº António

Esperemos que o ano de 2012 nos traga a todos muitos sucessos desportivos.......

http://www.rockandtrain.com

Reed, Marangon Win Inaugural Ironman 70.3 Canberra

2011-12-12T22:27:00.000Z

The final event in the global 2011 Ironman 70.3 Series took place in Australia's capital city of Canberra on Sunday. Professional triathletes Tim Reed and Lisa Marangon, both of New South Wales, Australian won the re-branded / inaugural Ironman 70.3 Canberra triathlon. The popular event, formally the Canberra Half Ironman race under the old Australian Half Ironman Series was re-branded last year (story link).

Extreme conditions are what triathletes had to endure in today's race. Major rain caused havoc for some, bringing the temps down during portions of the bike to 41 degrees Fahrenheit, but then the storms past and then it got hot right away. An unknown condition the 1,400 registered individual athletes and professional athletes knew when they registered, but something most conquered today.

2011 Ironman 70.3 Canberra Results:
Canberra, ACT, Australia

Pro Men Results	Time	Place	Pro Women Results	Time
Tim Reed	4:00:46	1	Lisa Marangon	4:24:41
Matt Bailey	4:04:39	2	Michelle Wu	4:30:24
Joshua Maeder	4:06:05	3	Nicole Ward	4:39:55
Monty Frankish	4:07:45	4	Matilda Raynolds	4:42:53
Michael Kent	4:08:37	5	Jacinta Worland	4:49:08

Athletes endured a 1.9km swim in Lake Burley Griffin, bike 90km through the Australian Capital Territory countryside and the ran 21.1km past some of Australia's iconic landmarks.

The new Ironman 70.3 brand name itself helped the numbers for this years race be the largest field ever to compete at the event.

Ben St Lawrence cracked the Australian 10,000m record in the US of 27min 24.95sec, which puts him among the fastest 10 men in the world.

2011-12-12T22:00:00.000Z

How Ben St Lawrence turned from a `pisspot party animal' to Australia's 10,000m champ

Runner Ben St Lawrence does plyometrics at the War Memorial in Sydney's Hyde Park this week, during training to defend his national 10,000m title in Melbourne. Picture: Sam Mooy Source: The Australian

HE'S the fastest Australian runner in history over 10,000m, but until five years ago Ben St Lawrence was more sinner than saint.

In his words, the former junior athlete had become a "pisspot party animal" at university and beyond. But then he turned his life around at 24, after watching his contemporaries race at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 and realising what he was missing.

Five years later, St Lawrence is 20kg lighter and on the fast track to his first Olympics in London next year. He could earn his place in the team as early as tonight, when he defends the national 10,000m championship against the likes of Craig Mottram at the Zatopek meet in Melbourne.

But the transformation did not come easily or quickly, which puts St Lawrence in the ideal position to advise others who have fallen into a sedentary lifestyle and want to regain some of the fitness of their youth.

"I'd been pretty inactive for quite a long time but I'd studied exercise science and been an avid fan of running, so I kind of knew the level I needed to get to, but I was a long way from that," St Lawrence recalled this week.

He began his campaign by taking a hard look at his diet, concluding that he needed to put the right fuel into his body before he could expect it to perform for him.

"I did a diet overhaul - started trying to eat mostly fresh fruit and vegies, good carbs, smaller meals, trying to cut out takeaways. That was the initial thing," he said.

"There's only so much the body can do running-wise coming from being completely sedentary, so I started fixing up my diet, and was running just a couple of times a week to begin with.

"And I bought myself a mountain bike and started riding places rather than driving."

St Lawrence began from "absolute scratch" with just two half-hour runs a week, covering four to five kilometres (he will run 10km at more than twice that pace tonight).

"It took a couple of months for my body to adapt and start shedding the pounds and being able to put up with the extra running," he said.

"Early on, I jumped in a bit too quickly and tried to do some hill repetitions (in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where he lived) and I got through two of them and was on the ground throwing up and I got a migraine afterwards that lasted for hours.

"My body really wasn't ready for that high-intensity exercise. But I got up to running every second day. I had a little rule with myself that if I hadn't run yesterday, then I had to run today. I found that was a good little mind-trick.

"In the days I wasn't running, I was riding. They say you shouldn't increase the kilometres by more than 10 per cent a week, so it was just a gradual build-up."

However, the bigger challenge for St Lawrence was resisting the temptations of the party crowd who had become his social circle in his hard-drinking days.

"Initially I found it really hard not to go out drinking and to get to bed at a reasonable hour, just because of the friends I had," he said.

"So I started telling my friends what I was trying to do, and tried to get them to understand it wasn't anything personal. It wasn't that I didn't want to have a beer with them, I just didn't want to have beer. I'd be out with my friends and almost shaking because I didn't know what to do with my hands.

"If I was going out, I set myself a four-beer limit, and I would try to be home by midnight. I'd have a couple of really good weeks, and then I'd have a blowout on a weekend. But slowly those blowouts happened less often, and my friends started to understand."

At the end of the 2006, after months working on his fitness, St Lawrence joined the Sydney training squad of coach Sean Williams - and that was a turning point.

"That's when running became part of my social life," he said.

"I would run with the squad four times a week, and sometimes we'd go out for dinner afterwards.

"In that squad, I was getting fitter, I was starting to drop the weight and I actually started to feel like a runner, rather than a pisshead party animal. It really helped to be around people who had similar goals."

It took him a full year of "false starts, and then a few good weeks, and then a blowout" to completely transform his lifestyle.

But four years after watching his former junior rivals compete for Australia in Melbourne, St Lawrence was at the Commonwealth Games himself, competing in the 5000m in Delhi.

This year he cracked the Australian 10,000m record in the US, setting a new benchmark of 27min 24.95sec, which puts him among the fastest 10 men in the world.

His 2006 self wouldn't recognise him.

NICOLE JEFFERY

From:The Australian

December 10, 2011 12:00AM

Rock 'n' Train - new training services

2011-12-04T12:05:00.001Z

Sobre nós

O profundo conhecimento do triatlo nacional e internacional, olimpico e de longa distancia motivou-me para a criação do Rock and Train. Mais que um grupo de atletas em busca da optimização do seu rendimento desportivo, esta comunidade partilha uma missão. Devolver ao desporto aquilo que ele nos proporciona, participando exemplarmente nos mais diversos níveis competitivos, crescendo com o sucesso dos atletas que connosco trabalham e que são a nossa inspiração diária.

Rock and Train é um projecto de excelência criado para estar ao serviço dos atletas, sejam profissionais ou amadores, iniciados ou veteranos. Para todos eles o nível de compromisso desta equipa é elevado, garantindo um acompanhamento dedicado e de elevado profissionalismo.

Serviços

Como empresa de coaching multi desporto, oferecemos um vasto leque de serviços extra para qualquer interessado.

Teste de lactatos (Run/Bike/Swim);
Teste de Potencia com os vários devices do atleta, ou com powertap;
Testes Antropométricos (Peso, Altura, %massa gorda)
Testes Funcionais (Detectar desiquilíbrios musculares e prescrever exercícios correctores)
VO2Max
Teste FTP em pista ou rolos
Análise nutricional
Planificação de nutrição em competição

Trail Menorca - Cami de Cavalls - 18-20 maio 2012

2011-12-04T11:51:00.000Z

Trail menorca - cami de cavalls

Hewitt, Gemmell Take Home Wins At ITU Auckland World Cup

2011-11-21T22:07:00.001Z

Women’s RecapNew Zeland’s Andrea Hewitt and Kris Gemmell took victories over the weekend at the ITU Auckland World Cup.

Photo: Triathlon.org/ Delly Carr

New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt put the perfect finishing touch on her already excellent 2011 season, leading a bike breakaway en route to a dominant World Cup win in Auckland.

After impressive victories in Beijing and Yokohama, Hewitt was the female triathlete to beat at home in the final World Cup race this year. And the World Championship silver medallist did not disappoint on the course that will host the 2012 Dextro Energy Triathlon Series Grand Final.

After quickly catching the leaders from the swim, Hewitt rode hard to lead a breakaway of five athletes on the tough, hilly and technical bike course before easily pulling away on the run for her third consecutive major win in a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 12 seconds, almost a full minute ahead of Japan’s Tomoko Sakimoto who claimed her second consecutive World Cup silver. Her teammate Mariko Adachi claimed bronze, finishing a further 13 seconds behind Sakimoto.

Hewitt’s comfortable winning margin allowed her plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere in Auckland, where thousands of people lined the CBD streets. In the final kilometre, she took the time to wave and high-five fans, and had a huge smile on her face all the way to the finish line.

“It’s amazing, the feeling was so incredible running that last lap. It’s actually really hard to run and smile at the same time. But, it was just such a great race,” Hewitt said.

Elite Women

1.	Andrea Hewitt	NZL	02:14:12
2.	Tomoko Sakimoto	JPN	02:15:09
3.	Mariko Adachi	JPN	02:15:22
4.	Alice Betto	ITA	02:15:51
5.	Kiyomi Niwata	JPN	02:16:39
6.	Maaike Caelers	NED	02:17:10
7.	Anne Haug	GER	02:17:14
8.	Kathrin Muller	GER	02:17:34
9.	Ai Ueda	JPN	02:17:49
10.	Vicky Holland	GBR	02:18:05

View Full Results >>

Click here for the complete women’s recap from Triathlon.org.

Men’s Recap

Kris Gemmell dedicated an emotional win to everyone affected by cancer, as he banished six months of ordinary results and his own fitness problems to complete a New Zealand golden sweep at home in Auckland today.

After detailing his own struggles with fitness this year at the pre-race press conference, Gemmell revealed in a TV interview that he would be racing two battles in Auckland, one for him and one for a cousin recently diagnosed with a brain tumour.

And after coming out in second place in the swim and putting in the hard work early on one of the toughest ITU bike courses, Gemmell upped the ante with a breakaway from the breakaway with 10 kilometers to go. Early on it didn’t look like it would work, but eventually it paid off in the best fashion as he claimed his first world cup win since 2008, and his fifth title overall in 1 hour 59 minutes and 59 seconds. His compatriot Bevan Docherty ran into silver to make it a Kiwi 1-2 at home in 2:01:06, while Australian Ryan Fisher claimed his first world cup medal with bronze in 2:01:19.

But the race belonged to Gemmell. In the final few hundred metres, he spelled out ‘Tim’ to the TV camera and struggled to put words together afterwards. Docherty added some for him.

“It’s just a magical event. It was such a demanding course and we just dominated out there, everything was under control…it was just a perfect race,” Docherty said. “I’m so happy for Kris, it’s been a tough year for him.”

Before Gemmell added, “I’d just like to thank the public for the atmosphere was amazing out there, I’d just like to say that for all those people out there who have struggled with cancer…. I hope that the show we put on today has done something to help.”

The win gives Gemmell five ITU World Cup wins, which means he is now equal with Docherty. The result is also important for New Zealand’s possible Olympic campaign, with the valuable Olympic qualifying points putting them in a better position to secure three men’s spots in London.

The battle for top-10 spots was a thrilling affair as the No.1 ranked Laurent Vidal (FRA) smashed through the field on the run to finish fourth. Vidal’s run split of 31 minutes and 58 seconds was the only sub 32-minute split of the day, while Jarrod Shoemaker (USA), Ivan Rana (ESP), Clark Ellice (NZL), Ryan Sissons (NZL), Marek Jaskolka (POL) and Fabio Carvalho (BRA) also ran themselves through the field to round out the top 10.

Elite Men

1.	Kris Gemmell	NZL	01:59:58
2.	Bevan Docherty	NZL	02:01:05
3.	Ryan Fisher	AUS	02:01:18
4.	Laurent Vidal	FRA	02:01:55
5.	Jarrod Shoemaker	USA	02:02:05
6.	Ivan Rana	ESP	02:02:14
7.	Clark Ellice	NZL	02:02:23
8.	Ryan Sissons	NZL	02:02:47
9.	Marek Jaskolka	POL	02:02:58
10.	Fabio Carvalho	BRA	02:03:02

View Full Results >>

Click here for the complete men’s recap from Triathlon.org.

by Triathlete.com

LLANOS AND CAVE CLAIM TITLES AT IRONMAN ARIZONA 2011

2011-11-21T21:25:00.001Z

TEMPE, Ariz. - More than 2,500 athletes ranging in age from 18 to 74 entered Tempe Town Lake at the eighth edition of Ford Ironman Arizona. Top professionals Eneko Llanos (ESP) and Leanda Cave (GBR) celebrated victories, with Llanos setting a course record, in Tempe and crossed the finish line in 7:59:38 and 8:49:00, respectively.

In one of the most competitive fields for an Ironman race this season, John Dahlz (USA) exited the water first followed by Stephane Poulat (FRA). A number of professionals would surge throughout the three-loop bike course with Llanos making his move into first at mile-marker 45. Combined with a solid finish into T2, Llanos would broaden his gap on the field, outlasting the competition with a run-split of 2:46:09 and becoming the second male to go under eight hours in a North American Ironman event.

Top five professional men's results are below:

1. Eneko Llanos ESP 7:59:38
2. Paul Amey GBR 8:01:29
3. Viktor Zyemtsev UKR 8:14:36
4. Torsten Abel USA (TUCSON, Ariz.) 8:16:44
5. Stephane Poulat FRA 8:18:55

Amanda Stevens (USA) was the first professional female to exit Tempe Town Lake, followed by Kelly Williamson (USA) and Meredith Kessler (USA). The multi-looped bike course out and back through the Salt River Maricopa Indian Community tested many of the female professionals, but Stevens would remain in the lead heading into the final transition. It would ultimately come down to the marathon, where Cave was able to overtake Stevens to win her first Ironman Arizona title and set the second fastest time in this course's history.

Top five professional women's results are below:
1.Leanda Cave GBR 8:49:00
2 Linsey Corbin USA 8:54:33
3 Meredith Kessler USA 9:00:14
4. Amanda Stevens USA 9:09:39
5. Michelle Vesterby DEN 9:11:23

One of nearly 30 events in the global Ironman Series, Ford Ironman Arizona leads athletes along a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run on a course that utilizes a variety of Tempe's scenic areas. Athletes complete a single-loop swim in Tempe Town Lake, followed by a challenging bike course through the Sonoran Dessert and a run around Tempe Town Lake, finishing in Tempe Beach Park. The finish line officially closes at midnight. The event offers a total professional prize purse of $75,000 and 65 coveted slots to the 2012 Ironman World Championship, taking place on Oct. 13 in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i. http://www.xtri.com

19ª Corrida do Monge - Serra de Sintra

2011-10-31T21:55:00.001Z

Foi no Domingo a 19ª Corrida do Monge que para mim foi o começo da época desportiva 2011/12 e que por acaso até começou "bem".

Realizei que tenho que treinar um pouco mais dado que no Domingo demorei quase 2 horas para percorrer os 12 Kms da prova o que em facto me admirou muito dado que estava a fazer uma média de 5:45m/Km e no fim apercebi-me que não tinha sido o único a perder-me no meio da Serra, aliás parece que 80% do pessoal se perdeu e acabaram por fazer, tal como eu 20Kms e alguns mais e outros tiveram que os ir buscar em carrinhas.....

Mas foi agradável porque o tempo também ajudou, com muito sol e com temperaturas a rondar os 24º..........

Não sei se para o ano a organização irá ter assim tantos participantes......

Comecei bem e espero acabar melhor........Estou a planear fazer algumas provas longas, tanto de corrida como de triatlo e vamos ver como me vou dar com a longa época desportiva.

http://www.ammamagazine.com/

Gabinete de Massagem a funcionar nas Piscinas do Boa Hora F.C.

2011-10-20T15:48:00.000+01:00

Sérgio Silva Duathlon World Champion 2011

2011-09-30T12:08:00.004+01:00

Sergio Silva captures first Duathlon World

Championships 2011

Sergio Silva captures World Duathlon title

http://www.triathlon.org

By Erin Greene

The elite men enjoyed similar weather conditions as their female counterparts while they vied for a world title at the 2011 Gijon ITU Duathlon World Championships. However, the men’s race saw a much less predictable finish, as each discipline hosted a new group of leaders.

While Sergio Silva (POR) won the men’s title by nearly five seconds, his position on the medal stand was uncertain for the majority of the race. A strong runner, he emerged with a slight lead following the first transition.

However, Silva, far less competitive on the bike than his feet, quickly fell out of the lead pack. Instead, he rode with a massive chase group of nearly 30 athletes that continued to lose time on the leaders throughout the race.

Meanwhile, Roger Roca Dalmau (ESP) surged to the front of the bike, followed by teammate Victor Manuel del Corral Morales (ESP). Together, the men battled with Richard Hobby (GBR), opening up more than a minute of time between themselves and the competition.

Etienne Diemunsch (FRA), competing in the U23 division, joined the lead pack and helped push the pace even further ahead of the sizeable chase group. By the time the men entered the second transition, they owned an 80-second lead.

Frenchman Diemunsch initiated an incredible transition, and ran off to demolish the elite competition by nearly 45 seconds to easily win the U23 category.

Behind him, Roca and Corral were trying to hold off Silva, who had recovered almost 50 seconds on the first lap of the final run. Down just 19 seconds with one lap to go, Silva was unstoppable.

“There were many attacks on the bike, but we couldn’t catch up,” Silva said. “I had to run very fast to make the podium. I felt very strong and knew I could make it if I ran fast.”

He pulled even with the Spaniards quickly outside of the first lap and blew by them in the final two kilometers. Silva slid past the finish line in 1:51:18 to capture the world championship title, while Roca was second in 1:51:23. Corral was third in 1:51:29.
Elite Men

1.	Sergio Silva	POR	01:51:17
2.	Roger Roca Dalmau	ESP	01:51:22
3.	Victor Manuel Del Corral Morales	ESP	01:51:29
4.	Benoit Nicolas	FRA	01:51:30
5.	Sergey Yakovlev	RUS	01:51:35
6.	Matt Russell	USA	01:51:36
7.	Richard Hobby	GBR	01:51:45
8.	Philip Wylie	GBR	01:51:47
9.	Alessio Picco	ITA	01:52:06
10.	Ilia Mazhukin	RUS	01:52:12

View Full Results

Kenyan Makau breaks world marathon mark

2011-09-30T11:57:00.000+01:00

Kenyan Patrick Makau dethroned king of the roads Haile Gebrselassie at the Berlin marathon on Sunday by slashing 21 seconds off the Ethiopian's world record despite running on his own for the final 10 kilometres.

Makau ran under world-record pace for the entire 42.195 kms on the flat, fast course through the heart of the German capital to clock two hours three minutes 38 seconds. It was the fifth time the world men's record had fallen in Berlin.

The defining moment of an epic performance came 27 kilometres into the race on a fine, sunny autumn morning.

Makau, running easily in a leading group including four-times world and twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion Gebreselassie, decided the moment had come to pounce.

He veered across the road, drawing Gebrselassie with him, crossed back and then shot away.

Gebrselassie, who has been suffering from the exercise-induced asthma complaint which has prevented him from running in London's annual spring race on the course where he made his marathon debut, stopped shortly afterwards and stepped off the road.

He bent double in obvious distress and, although he returned to the course in less than a minute, he lasted only another eight kms before stopping for the second and final time.

"I did some zig-zag, at the time he was behind me," Makau said. "I just wanted to run and run. I went to the other side, he followed me, by the time he went back to the other side he was tired."

Gebrselassie, who said before the race he was aiming for a fast time to ensure he qualified for the Ethiopian team for next year's London Olympics, also dropped out of the New York marathon last November and promptly announced his retirement, an impulsive decision he later rescinded.

On Sunday he returned to his hotel and did not talk to reporters but his manager Jos Hermens told reporters Gebrselassie still wanted to cap his career by running in London and intended to keep running.

Hermens said Gebrselassie would now probably run in the Dubai marathon next January to try to clinch a spot in the Ethiopian team.

"It's not the end of Haile," he said. "I think it's the end of an era. There's a new era coming, Kenyans running in the low 2:03s and high 2:02s.

"I know several people in Kenya who are ready to run half a minute faster."

Makau, 26, clocked the 11th fastest time ever at that stage when he won last year's Berlin race in 2:05:07 in heavy rain.

He is a twice world silver medallist over the half-marathon and has run under 60 minutes a record eight times. This year he fell after 22 kms in the London marathon but recovered to take third place.

Makau said he had thought primarily about winning the race and not about a possible world record when he woke up on Sunday.

"At 32 kms I thought I could win the race and even break the world record," he said, adding that he had used the lure of a world record to spur him on.

"It was hard to for the last 10 kilometres," he added.

The women's race was a further triumph for Kenya after their heady performances at the world athletics championships in Daegu where they finished third on the medals' table behind the might of the United States and Russia with seven golds, six silvers and two bronzes.

Florence Kiplagat, another outstanding half-marathon exponent who failed to complete her only previous marathon in Boston this year, went on her own before the halfway stage to win in 2:19:44. En route she set a 30 kms women's record of 1:27:38.

Twice Berlin champion Irina Mikitenko was second and world record holder Paula Radcliffe finished third in her first marathon since she finished fourth in New York two years ago.

Radcliffe's time of 2:23:46 was comfortably under the British qualifying time for the London Games and the Olympic title which has so far eluded her, although she had hoped to run faster.

"In some ways I am happy and in other ways I am disappointed," she said. "At least I have the Olympic qualifying time. Now I have to build on that for London."

Men's results:

1. Patrick Makau (Kenya) two hours three minutes 38 seconds (world record)

2. Stephen Kwelio (Kenya) 2:07:55

3. Edwin Kimaiyo (Kenya) 2:09:50

4. Felix Limo (Kenya) 2:10:38

5. Scott Overall (Britain) 2:10:55

6. Ricardo Serrano (Spain) 2:13:32

7. Pedro Nimo (Spain) 2:13:34

8. Simon Munyutu (France) 2:14:20

9. Driss El Himer (France) 2:14:46

10. Hendrick Ramalaa (South Africa) 2:16:00

Women's results:

1. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:19:44

2. Irina Mikitenko (Germany) 2:22:18

3. Paula Radcliffe (Britain) 2:23:46

4. Atsede Habtamu (Ethiopia) 2:24:25

5. Tatyana Petrova (Russia) 2:25:01

6. Anna Incerti (Italy) 2:25:32

7. Rosaria Console (Italy) 2:26:10

8. Valeria Straneo (Italy) 2:26:33

9. Eri Okubo (Japan) 2:28:49

10. Miranda Boonstra (Netherlands) 2:29:23

Reuters

Trail Hike/Run....Strelapass/Schatzalp.....August 10, 2011

2011-08-10T18:01:00.002+01:00

This morning I woke up to sunshine and fresh snow on the mountain tops, even though it is August but that is mountain weather.....

Went up towards Weissflujhoch to reach the high edge trail at above 2200 m that goes to Strelapass and then took it all the way down to Schatzalp and to Davos Dorf.....

It was sunny but a bit chilly (+- 6º), it did warm up later and by the time I got home it was already around 15º.....

Le Tour de France 2011

2011-06-29T09:56:00.001+01:00

The route

Running from Saturday July 2^nd to Sunday July 24^th 2011, the 98^th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometres.
These stages have the following profiles:

10 flat stages,
6 mountain stages and 4 summit finishes,
3 medium mountain stages,
1 individual time-trial stage (42.5 km).
1 team time-trial stage (23 km).

Distinctive aspects of the race

le Galibier climbed twice,
2 rest days,
23 level 2, 1 or highest level mountain passes or summit finishes,
no bonuses will be awarded during the intermediate sprints and stage finishes.

15 new stage towns

Blaye-les-Mines, Cap Fréhel, Carhaix, Carmaux, Cugnaux, Galibier Serre-Chevalier, Limoux, Modane - Valfréjus, Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers, Mûr-de-Bretagne, Olonne-sur-Mer, Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts, Pinerolo (Italie), Redon, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

RIDERS LIST

THE TOUR SUMMITS

Long Live Le Tour.......

COACH CANOVA TALKS ABOUT TRAINING AND THE TWO-HOUR MARATHON

2011-06-27T21:25:00.000+01:00

Where your dreams become reality

By Chris Lotsbom
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
June 25th, 2011

BOSTON -- Italy's Renato Canova may just be the world's best marathon coach. He made an appearance yesterday at a media roundtable here at the offices of the Boston Athletic Association, and explained his thoughts on Moses Mosop's debut marathon this past April, training for the marathon, and specifically the possibility of a sub-two hour marathons. Here is what he said.

RRW: Boston this year was unlike any other marathon in history. From Boston, what changes can you see so far from the race?

Renato Canova: Boston changes the self confidence of many people. The most important thing as a marathoner isn't the history. Boston was the most exciting marathon of all-time. Running 2:03, the way that Geoffrey and Moses used to run Boston, in my opinion, is something that can change the history of this event in a mental point of view. There is no fear or fright of running faster, and it is possible to overtake the limit. What I can say is that the mind of Boston is different, the motivation is different now.

RRW: With the inaugural B.A.A. 10-K on Sunday, what do you think the event can bring to the table?

RC: The B.A.A. 10-K can be something important in the future. The course is very flat, and in the future, maybe, on this course it is possible to look for the world record for 10-K on the roads. Of course it depends on the shape of the athletes and the field. Boston is not only something in history, we believe in the history here, and it is really, really exciting.

RRW: What are your thoughts on how Moses Mosop developed over the course of marathon training?

RC: First to think Moses never trained with people at 2:04, 2:05; he was training having not finished a marathon. He was particularly alone. Now Abel Kirui is in the group... I think for the next time it will be easier mentally for him. Mentally, the situation for these guys is the change after the marathon, that three athletes-- Geoffrey, Moses, and Gebremariam-- they best appear like runners of 10,000m.

RRW: What do you think of the times run and the capabilities of athletes now having seen this year's Boston?

RC: Athletes that wait to finish their career on the track are slowing down before moving to the marathon. This is the first difference with the past. And of course, you have athletes stronger than the past, younger than the past, they can use something different in training. They have the ability to recover quickly after very tough workouts, and we changed the methodology of training. The methodology is connected with the level of athletes. We needed to change the methodology. It's not the methodology coming before the athlete, but after the athlete. With this type of athlete, it is possible to look for a time under 2:03 in two or three years. This wasn't possible until three or four years ago, when I think in the mind it was very far, a final target. Now I think it is not far but very close, and of course new athletes, new motivation, a different mind, different possibility of recovery, different training, all of these components can bring a record that was not possible until two years ago.

RRW: Much has been made of the two-hour barrier. I know you think 2:02 is on the horizon.

RC: Really, two hours in my mind, is really far. But after the 30-K of Moses in Eugene on the track, there was no speculation of wind. There was wind in Boston, of course there was wind, but the calculation of help or aid was some speculation that I continue to call a stupid speculation, calculating the amount of advantage an athlete can have. To compare for example, the marathon of this year with the marathon of 1994 is to cheat people, for I remember a picture of Uta Pippig where her hair is in front of her face; the wind was a storm. This year, I also spoke with Gebre [Gebremariam] today, and everybody said the same thing, that in the last 5-6 km, there was wind at their back, that was helping. But all the other parts of the race, the wind was from one side, and sometime also against. This is the truth, and I don't look to match the official data like it is a competition of 100m, it is not possible that for more than two hours it is even, at a constant direction. It is speculation.

But if we go to analyze the competition of this year, the key is Ryan Hall at the beginning, Hall was very even through 25km, but after 25km, there is 5km in 15:07, where all athletes lost 25 seconds on the pace. I don't think that these 25 seconds could be recovered in the last part. So if it was possible this year to have someone pushing from 25 to 30km, already this year the final [would be] 2:02:45, it was already possible. We need to discover something new in this situation. What I can say, in an athlete like Moses, and I suppose an athlete like Geoffrey, can look in two years time because the problem is to find the conditions. But running at 29-pace (for 10Km), it means 1:56 after 40km, it means to finish in 2:02:20, it is really possible in good conditions.

We need to discover what is possible to do with the training and volume of before and more intensity. We don't know. Now, the human limit, we need to discover something new in training. Because in the history of athletics, not much has changed in the last 40 years, for example in the 800m or 1500m. In the 400m, nothing has changed? No, we are speaking of 45 seconds today, forgetting that in the Rome Olympics, 1960, 51-years-ago the first and second were together in 44.9. So, we have new methodologies that the elite didn't change.

For long distances, everything changes, because we continue to increase in every type of performance. The first key for changing started from Ron Clark in 1965, when for the first time, people not only spoke of general mileage, but of the qualification of mileage. This is the key for running fast. It is not possible running long and fast, running long and slow in training, and short and fast. No, we needed to put together the situation. What can happen if we are ready to reduce three-percent the difference between running a half-marathon like pace and a marathon, we can look for running under two-hours.

Of course, we need an athlete that, in that period, is running 26:20 for 10,000m preparing for a marathon. I don't know if at the moment there is one out there like this, but I know it is possible, also because a marathon is the only event in athletics now where they can keep the motivation. Or secondary motivation which is very important. So the most top talent that are young are moving to the marathon right now, so my idea that the world record on the track will have a very long, very long life, because there is no longer the same interest around. The world record in the marathon can be beaten several times in the next years.

Kitzbuhel WCS men´s race 2011

2011-06-18T21:34:00.001+01:00

Alistair leads from start to finish in Kitzbühel win

Wet, windy and cold weather did nothing to dampen Alistair Brownlee’s stellar Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship series form, as the 23 year-old destroyed the field for the second time in two weeks to win Kitzbühel and take the lead in the overall 2011 standings.
Brownlee was the fastest man in the swim, equal fastest in the bike and then blitzed the field in the run for his second consecutive Dextro Energy Triathlon Series win – after taking out Madrid just two weeks ago – and move ahead of Javier Gomez and younger brother Jonathan in the overall rankings.

“I looked at the sport and I thought I want to be a kind of athlete who can win in any condition on any day, on any course, independent of how the race goes, and I think that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment.”

Alistair Brownlee, on his current form.

Afterwards, Brownlee said the conditions hadn’t worried him - except when he went to slow down at the end of the run.
“It wasn’t all difficult to be honest, I don’t think the conditions had that much of effect on me until the last couple of laps of the run,” he said. “I knew I had a decent lead and I knew I was racing next weekend (at the 2011 European Championships) so I kind of didn’t push on too much and I think that kind of hurt, and I think maybe I should have pushed on, I might have stayed a bit warmer.”
He also responded to comments that he was changing the sport, saying it was the best feedback he could receive.
“It’s fantastic, it’s the ultimate compliment,” he said. “I looked at the sport and I thought I want to be a kind of athlete who can win in any condition on any day, on any course, independent of how the race goes, and I think that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment. I raced hard out of the swim today, I managed to get away at the end of the bike, and then had a good run today too, so it’s great winning in every situation.”
In tough conditions - with a starting air temperature of 17.2degrees - Brownlee was first out of the water. After three groups came together in the first lap of the bike, Brownlee then stayed at the front of a huge 50-man peloton for five laps before making a break with Stuart Hayes and Reinaldo Colucci. Those three then hit T2 with a gap of 30seconds on the rest, just as the rain was really starting to pour. From there Brownlee simply blitzed the field, dropping Colucci and Hayes within a few hundred metres and going on to win by almost a minute. It’s the second time Brownlee has won Kitzbühel, he won in 2009 before finishing 40th in 2010.
While the gold medal was decided early on, there was a thrilling battle for the other podium places as Alexander Brukhankov, Brad Kahlefeldt, Sven Riederer, William Clarke and Laurent Vidal ran through and passed Hayes and Colucci in the first few kilometres. Just around the five kilometre mark, Brukhankov made a break and stayed clear to claim silver. Riederer then made his break on the bell lap, holding on to claim his second bronze medal for the 2011 season - after also finishing third in Sydney.
Riederer said that wasn’t a coincidence, as it also poured in the season opening race, and he’s a fan of cold weather.
“It was a perfect day for me, it’s a weather for me, I like it really much to have the weather like it was today and it’s fantastic to have the second podium for this season,” he said.
Clarke finished fourth, Kahlefeldt fifth and Vidal sixth. Russian’s Vladimir Turbaevskiy, Dmitry Polyansky, Frenchman Vincent Luis and Kiwi Bevan Docherty rounded out the top-10.

RESULTS

Elite Men

1.	Alistair Brownlee	GBR	01:51:54
2.	Alexander Brukhankov	RUS	01:52:38
3.	Sven Riederer	SUI	01:52:59
4.	William Clarke	GBR	01:53:08
5.	Brad Kahlefeldt	AUS	01:53:10
6.	Laurent Vidal	FRA	01:53:13
7.	Vladimir Turbaevskiy	RUS	01:53:17
8.	Dmitry Polyansky	RUS	01:53:20
9.	Vincent Luis	FRA	01:53:23
10.	Bevan Docherty	NZL	01:53:26

Andreas

Giglmayr

AUT

01:54:00

Duarte

Marques

POR

01:54:50

Kitzbuehel WCS women´s race 2011

2011-06-13T00:15:00.002+01:00

Findlay does it again....

Helen Jenkins finished second to Findlay as she had in Madrid two weeks ago while American Sarah Groff enjoyed a career breakthrough, taking the bronze.

Findlay’s record-breaking win in Kitzbühel was also her toughest so far in 2011. After a tough swim, where she was more than a minute down from the leaders, she was part of a 19-athlete chase group that caught the breakaway leaders, Helen Jenkins and Sarah Haskins, at the end of the fourth bike leg - before setting the pace on the run. From there, just like in Madrid, it came down to a head-to-head with Jenkins, but Findlay proved too strong - running away in the final 200 metres to claim her third straight win of this season. Although, Findlay did say it had been tougher as Jenkins turned-up the pace with two kilometres to go.

“I’m just thrilled again, that was a really hard race, I have so much respect for Helen, I really didn’t think I could stay with her, I was running at maximum the whole way,”

Paula Findlay on her win in Austria.

Jenkins said it had been a tactic to try and push Findlay earlier than she did in Madrid.
“After Madrid, I knew I wasn’t going to beat her over the last 400 metres and over the last 2.5 kilometres I was just really trying to push on and break her, and I could see she was working, but in the last few hundred metres I just couldn’t catch her,” Jenkins said.
“I’m happy with second, I wish I hadn’t waited now, but it’s racing you had to give it a go, Sarah is so strong and I thought we could get there. I’m just happy with the run, I felt awful on the first lap, but came good.”
Early in the race it was Haskins, who won her first career ITU World Cup title just last month in Monterrey, who started aggressively with the swim and had a 20-second lead out of the water. Jenkins was next out and worked hard to catch the American on the first lap. Together, they evoked memories of the 2008 Vancouver ITU World Championships, when they made a break on the bike and Jenkins (nee Tucker) out-sprinted Haskins in the final straight to win her first world title. It wasn’t to be in Kitzbühel though as a chase pack of 19 athletes, led by Andrea Hewitt, Svenja Bazlen and Annabel Luxford - and including Findlay and reigning World Champion Emma Moffatt – consistently cut the gap. After it started at 40 seconds in the first lap, the chase caught Haskins and Jenkins at the end of the fourth lap.

That group of 21 then hit T2 together, with Findlay, Haskins, Bennett, Groff, Melanie Annaheim, Erin Densham and Barbara Riveros Diaz moving to the front quickly in the run. Moffatt then caught that group and as others dropped - it came down to her, Groff, Findlay and Jenkins in the final lap. Groff held on to win bronze, her first ever Dextro Energy Triathlon Series medal.

In other notable results, Ai Ueda of Japan ran through a large portion of the field to finish seventh.

Elite Women

1.	Paula Findlay	CAN	02:05:52
2.	Helen Jenkins	GBR	02:05:56
3.	Sarah Groff	USA	02:06:27
4.	Emma Moffatt	AUS	02:06:31
5.	Barbara Riveros Diaz	CHI	02:06:41
6.	Laura Bennett	USA	02:06:44
7.	Ai Ueda	JPN	02:07:00
8.	Erin Densham	AUS	02:07:03
9.	Svenja Bazlen	GER	02:07:10
10.	Nicky Samuels	NZL	02:07:11

23	Kate	Roberts	RSA		02:08:15

Kate

Roberts

RSA

02:08:15

RESULTS
Start lists

by triathlon.org

W.C.S. Madrid 2011

2011-06-07T17:51:00.000+01:00

May the best one win.....Have a great race....

Madrid event preview

start lists

rankings

The 2k high ride........

2011-06-02T14:33:00.000+01:00

Quite a nice gradual climb up to 2000 meters. Great views and at the end there is a café where you could just have a beverage....enjoy it....

The Sertig ride

2011-05-31T14:15:00.000+01:00

This is a rather nice ride, short with a gradual up hill incline that can be done pretty much in the saddle. Once you get to Sertig just turn around and come through Cavadel on the way back with a rather fast downhill on the way back to town.....Beautiful sights too....enjoyed it....
Check it out....

<p>&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/35948102"&amp;gt;A ride mapped on 05/31/2011&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Prättigau/Davos, Switzerland"&amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Prättigau/Davos, Switzerland&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; </p>

Riding in the mountains

2011-05-24T15:34:00.000+01:00

My first good ride in the mountains is done and I´m pleased with it. The weather was great and the sights were even better.....will only post a couple of rides and trail runs per week though....

<p>&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/35255200"&amp;gt;A ride mapped on 05/24/2011&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Davos, Switzerland"&amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Davos, Switzerland&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; </p>

Grand Prix Dunkerque ´11

2011-05-22T19:49:00.000+01:00

Another French Grand Prix race and another podium (3rd) for Barbara Riveros and a great 5th place for Sarah Groff, unfortunately Vicky Holland had to drop out of the race with a flat tyre ....

1 Andrea Hewitt (Poissy) 1h03'36
2 Emma Moffatt (Charleville) 1h03'36
3 Barbara Riveros (Val de Gray) 1h03'39
4 Emma Jackson (Parthenay) 1h03'54
5 Sarah Groff (Charleville) 1h04'05
6 Svenja Bazlen (Châteauroux) 1h04'13
7 Carole Péon (Poissy) 1h04'13
8 Kate McIlroy (Poissy) 1h04'13
9 Emmie Charayron (Lagardère Paris Racing) 1h04'14
10 Jessica Harrison (Poissy) 1h04'18

In the men´s race once again the Brownlee brothers came out to blow the competition apart. Right behind came João Silva of Portugal and followed by Gomez Noya.

1 Alistair Brownlee (Sartrouville) 56'30
2 Jonathan Browlee (Sartrouville) 56'40
3 Joao Silva (Sables Vendée) 57'00
4 Javier Gomez (Sartrouville) 57'08
5 Bertrand Billard (Poissy) 57'50
6 Anthony Pujades (Sables Vendée) 58'08
7 Brad Kahlefeldt (Sables Vendée) 58'16
8 William Clark (Lagardère Paris Racing) 58'19
9 Tony Moulai (Poissy) 58'23
10 Laurent Vidal (Lagardère Paris Racing) 58'24

Grand Prix Lyonnaise des Eaux Dunkerque

2011-05-19T15:06:00.001+01:00

Start lists

http://www.fftri.com/node/123/3213

Watch for Sarah Groff, Vicky Holland (Charleville Triathlon Ardennes) and Barbara Riveros (Tri Val De Gray)....Good luck girls......

Vicky Holland gets interviewed by TriEurope.....

2011-05-19T14:21:00.000+01:00

Vicky Holland GB´s triathlon Olympic hopeful

Vicky Holland had a breakthrough year in 2010 putting herself firmly on the map as one of the best Olympic distance racers in the country. The 25-year-old from Swansea in South Wales is in with a good shot of making the GB Olympic squad for London 2012 based on her current form. Holland grew up as a swimmer, at a national level, before moving into athletics where she competed as a 1500 metre runner where she won an English Schools gold. After going to Loughborough University she was convinced to give triathlon a shot and hasn’t looked back since. She’s come a long way and continues to improve with each passing year. We caught up with the fast talking and even faster racing Holland to find out more.

Tell us about you sporting past before triathlon?I started swimming aged six so have been paddling around in pools for nearly 20 years. I competed at national level as a backstroke and freestyle swimmer as a teenager. I also started cross-country running at secondary school which led to a love for athletics, particularly the 1500 metres. I ran for England three times and won an English Schools gold in the 1500 metres when I was 18.

How did you get into triathlon?I went to Loughborough University at 18 looking to improve on my swimming and running, and if I’m honest I had little interest in triathlon at that time. I was contacted by British Triathlon and asked if I would consider taking up the sport. I resisted for a while but started dabbling in cycling and six months later. After returning from my first ever triathlon camp to France I was converted.

How did your 2010 season go?2010 was definitely a breakthrough year for me. I still consider myself a developing athlete so whilst my early season results, including 10th at Sydney World Championship Series, were pleasing, I knew there was more to come. In Hamburg I ran about two minutes quicker than ever before and went the whole 10K with the best triathletes in the world. Looking back I was disappointed not to have the kick at the end to finish it off with a podium but fifth was still a watershed moment for me. I backed this up six days later at the London World Champion Series where I had a slightly weaker run, but still pulled off a good result with sixth place. Then I had a few illness issues before coming good in the Grand Final with sixth place again. Once again I didn’t have the kick to get on the podium but proved my ability to run with most of the best girls in the sport. Hopefully 2011 will bring podium results for me.

Plans for 2011?My plans for this year revolve hugely around Olympic selection and that means racing on the World Championship Series circuit. I will also do some French Grand Prix races for my new team Charleville. I love racing in France. It’s sprint distance team style racing and I find it a fun interlude to the more pressure fuelled races we do.

Is your training building towards the Olympics with a hope of making the team?Definitely. The Olympics is the big aim but with the UK being such a strong nation even solid results again this year won’t guarantee me a slot. We have to look at this year first and try to book my place, and then we can turn our attention 100 per cent to August 2012.

What are you doing to get ready for this?Just trying to make every day count, being as consistent as possible and staying injury free and healthy.

Are you doing anything differently?We went to Kenya at the end of 2010 to observe and experience the lifestyle of the best runners in the world. One of the things we have done since is to make some changes to my running. Hopefully this will gain another couple of per cent in this area.

How many hours do you need to train?I train around 25 hours per week but this varies depending on what the particular focus of each week is. For example with a more cycling orientated block of training the weekly hours go up compared to a running block.

What would it mean to you to make it to the Olympics?Going to the Olympics would fulfil a lifelong dream and to make the team for a home Olympics would be totally incredible. Obviously, I don’t want to just qualify, I want to turn up in Hyde Par, in the best possible shape and get a great result for myself and Great Britain too. First things first, I have to book my place.

Who are your main competitors from the UK trying to make the team?I consider it both a positive for the UK and a challenge to myself that there are a lot of us who could potentially qualify. There are almost too many to mention. I can think of at least eight but top of the list would have to be the British number one and world number four Helen Jenkins.

What does Vicky Holland do to relax away from triathlon?Talk. I rarely stop! I also do a lot of sleeping, reading and occasionally go on a shopping spree.

Published: May 19th 2011 12:04 PM UTC by TriEurope

Giro d'Italia 2011

2011-05-06T16:53:00.000+01:00

The 2011 Giro d'Italia will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, with a mountainous route that looks set to exalt a possible duel between Vincenzo Nibali and Riccardo Ricco. Vincenzo Nibali, Michele Scarponi, Denis Menchov and Alberto Contador. Race director Angelo Zomegnan revealed the route in Turin, where the three weeks of racing will begin on Saturday, May 7 with a 21.5km team time trial. The corsa rosa concludes with a 32.8km individual time trial that finishes in

the shadow of the spectacular Milan Duomo on Sunday, May 29.

Giro

French Grand Prix Nice 2011

2011-04-24T15:56:00.000+01:00

Barbara "Chica" Riveros does it again. She sprints away from Hewitt. Vixter Holland comes in 6th spot.

1 Barbara Riveros (Val de Gray) 1h01'23
2 Andrea Hewitt (Poissy) à 2''
3 Emmie Charayron (Lagardère Paris) à 4''
4 Rebecca Robisch (Lagardère Paris) à 13''
5 Mélanie Annaheim (Châteauroux) à 17''
6 Vicky Holland (Charleville) à 18''
7 Carole Péon (Poissy) à 45''
8 Jessica Harrison (Poissy) à1'10
9 Katrin Müller (Poissy) à 1'25
10 Monika Orazem (Saint-Avertin) à 1'52

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-22T10:56:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter everyone!!!

What is Easter?

Easter is the most important Christian festival. Christians are followers of Jesus Christ who lived about 2000 years ago in a country called Palestine. They believe that Jesus was the son of God. At Easter time Christians remember the last week of Jesus' life.

How did Easter get its name?

One belief is that Easter got its name from the Goddess of Spring called Eostre who some people worshipped long before Jesus was born. At that time it was thought that the sun died in winter and was born again in spring when days would lengthen and the sun’s power would return. In Europe, Eostre was honoured as the bringer of spring.

When and how long is Easter?

Easter Day is always on a Sunday, but the date varies from year to year unlike Christmas which is always on December 25. Many years ago Christians decided that Easter Day should be always be on the Sunday following the first full moon after the first day of Spring on March 21. This means that Easter can be as early as 22 March or as late as 25 April. For this reason Easter is called a movable feast.
In fact not only is Easter a movable feast but it happens on different dates depending on where in the world you live. In western churches such as in the United Kingdom, Easter was celebrated on April 16, 2006 whereas in Eastern Orthodox churches the date was April 23. The reason for this is that in the west the date is calculated using the Gregorian calendar which is different to the Julian calendar which is used in the east.

European Duathlon Championship | Limerick 2011

2011-04-17T18:40:00.001+01:00

ETU European Duathlon Championship

Limerick, Ireland played host the the ETU European Duathlon Championships this weekend. Further details to follow in due course, but here is a snapshot of the top results from the weekend. (Note, some of the results links below have yet to be populated, will appear shortly).

ELITE (Results: Men / Women)

Pos	Men	Women
1st	Benoit Nicolas (FRA) 1:40:21	Sandra Levenez (FRA) 1:53:02
2nd	Victor Manual Del Corral Morales (ESP) 1:40:36	Ruth Van Der Meijden (NED) 1:53:36
3rd	Lino Barruncho (PRT)	Sabrina Godard (FRA) 1:54:03

ELITE UNDER-23 (Results: Men / Women)

Pos	Men	Women
1st	Miguel Arraiolos (POR) 1:40:48	Alexandra Cassan Ferrier (FRA) 1:55:25
2nd	Matthew Gunby (GBR) 1:40:51	Alice Capone (ITA) 2:06:24
3rd	David Uccellari (ITA) 1:40:56

ELITE JUNIOR (Results)

Two silver medals to the GE Great Britain team though the efforts of Gordon Benson and Lucy Hall.

Pos	Men	Women
1st	Matthias Steinwandter (ITA) 57:17	Renata Fuchs (HUN) 1:03:58
2nd	Gordon Benson (GBR) 58:52	Lucy Hall (GBR) 1:04:01
3rd	Hugo Alves (POR) 58:55	Elena Maria Petrini (ITA) 1:04:17

results

Ishigaki World Cup 2011

2011-04-17T11:45:00.000+01:00

Barbara Riveros Diaz continues great start to 2011 with win in Ishigaki....

Barbara Riveros Diaz claimed bronze in the first ITU World Cup of the season in Mooloolaba, before finishing second behind Canadian Paula Findlay in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Sydney race last weekend.Chilean Barbara Riveros Diaz has continued her stellar start to season 2011 by running away with the women’s Ishigaki ITU World Cup title in Japan.

But she came in as the highest-ranked female at Ishigaki and didn’t disappoint, proving unbeatable once she had established a lead on the run to top the podium for the first time in 2011. Ireland’s Aileen Morrisonclaimed silver, while three-time Olympian and defending Ishigaki champion Kiyomi Niwata (JPN) made a late charge to claim bronze.

The race was the first in Japan since the devastating earthquake last month and athletes, officials and fans observed a minutes silence for the victims of the tragedy. Afterwards, Riveros Diaz said she hoped she had brought a smile to the nation.

“My victory is for everyone, giving love and happiness,” Riveros Diaz said.

“I was a little tired from the last race, but have to be smart and manage myself to get to the finish line. The atmosphere was amazing. Even if I wasn’t Japanese, they were cheering me.”

The race started in almost perfect conditions, 28 degrees celsius in the air and 23 in the water, and the attacks started right from the swim.

Kerry Lang (GBR), Line Jensen (DEN), Radka Vodickova (CZE) and Eri Kawashima (JPN) broke away in the water and took their lead into the bike. Coming into fourth lap, the group has a sizeable 30-second gap. But the chase that included Riveros Diaz, Morrison, Mariko Adachi (JPN) and Kirsten Sweetland (CAN) turned on the pace and within a lap had caught them. A total of 30 athletes then hit transition together.

But that mass run group didn’t last for long as Riveros Diaz made her move in the first lap, from there her incredibly efficient strides took her lead further on each hilly lap heading into the finish. A chase group that included Morrison, Niwata, Erin Densham (AUS) and Marina Damlaimcourt (ESP) tried to catch her but to no avail.

Morrison did pull away from the bunch in the final lap, to add another world cup podium to her quickly growing ITU resume, and said she couldn’t have been happier.

“Absolutely fantastic and delighted to stand on the podium,” she said. “A lovely place to do a race, in Ishigaki. Fantastic people, fantastic course. It was really hard, yet loved it and am delighted I finished second.”

The Ishigaki ITU Triathlon World Cup is the longest running ITU World Cup event, having been held every year since 1996. The island, approximately 2,000km southwest of Tokyo, has become a triathlon mecca in Japan. Before the women’s race, over 1,600 triathletes from all over the region participated in the age-group races.

Elite Women

1.	Barbara Riveros Diaz	CHI	02:01:57
2.	Aileen Morrison	IRL	02:02:19
3.	Kiyomi Niwata	JPN	02:02:34
4.	Marina Damlaimcourt	ESP	02:02:45
5.	Erin Densham	AUS	02:02:59
6.	Maria Czesnik	POL	02:03:15
7.	Jillian Petersen	USA	02:03:19
8.	Line Jensen	DEN	02:03:23
9.	Akane Tsuchihashi	JPN	02:03:25
10.	Non Stanford	GBR	02:03:39

2011 World Championship Series opener in Sydney

2011-04-17T11:37:00.000+01:00

Findlay claims 2011 World Championship Series opener in Sydney

Canadian Paula Findlay proved her 2010 form was no fluke when she outsprinted Barbara Riveros Diaz to win the first Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship series race for season 2011 in Sydney.

In a thrilling finish, a pack of six women that had the lead for more than half of the run leg were all in with a chance heading into the final lap. American veteran Laura Bennett had lead the way for most of the time alongside Findlay, Riveros Diaz, Andrea Hewitt, Carole Peon and Tomoko Sakimoto, but it was the 21-year old Canadian who had the final legs to carry away the opening round of 2011.

The win confirmed Findlay as a bona fide triathlon star, after she won both the London and Kitzbuhel races in her first year on the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series. Findlay now has three series race titles, to put her just one behind reigning champion Emma Moffatt, who has a total of four race wins to lead the all-time series winners list. The scary thing for Findlay’s competitors is, there could only be more to come.Findlay put the burners on for the final few hundred metres, enough to hold off Riveros Diaz from claiming her second Sydney title. The pint-sized Chilean star also won last year’s race. Hewitt came in for third, her second consecutive Sydney podium after she claimed silver last year.

“I find it really helps my confidence because after I have a good race I am even more motivated to go even harder,” she said. “I’m excited to go home and do a few more months of training and I think that Madrid will be my next race and I am really looking forward to that.”

Findlay said she decided to play it safe in the big packs that dominated for most of the women’s bike. Australian Annabel Luxford tried to pull-away on the deceptively hilly Macquarie Street course, but was pulled back in as the top contenders hit T2 en masse.

“I just knew I had to chase hard and once I was there, I wasn’t trying to get the primes or anything,” Findlay said. “I was just trying to stay safe and stay up and stay within the group. After the run I felt pretty good and those last few laps went really well for me and those girls I was running with were so tough, I just wasn’t expecting at all to win.”

“There was so many surges and so many girls that were coming back from behind running on the hills that passed us, so many girls that are going to be factors later in the year and it’s still very early, but I think it just getting faster and faster and definitely very competitive.”

The highly favoured Australians in the field, Moffatt and Emma Snowsill, both had off-days. Reigning ITU world champion Moffatt was in the lead-pack until halfway through the run but dropped off while Snowsill had a tough swim leg and was chasing the lead pack from the start. Moffatt finished up in 13th place and Snowsill in 42nd.

Elite Women

1.	Paula Findlay	CAN	02:01:21
2.	Barbara Riveros Diaz	CHI	02:01:23
3.	Andrea Hewitt	NZL	02:01:29
4.	Carole Peon	FRA	02:01:38
5.	Tomoko Sakimoto	JPN	02:01:40
6.	Laura Bennett	USA	02:01:59
7.	Ai Ueda	JPN	02:02:02
8.	Liz Blatchford	GBR	02:02:32
9.	Lisa Norden	SWE	02:02:36
10.	Lauren Campbell	CAN	02:02:43

View Full Results >>

Nicky Samuels wins in Mooloolaba World Cup race '11

2011-03-28T05:41:00.000+01:00

Nicky Samuels of New Zealand used a daring breakaway on the bike to snap up her first career ITU Triathlon World Cup title today in Mooloolaba. Two-time reigning World Champion Emma Moffatt came from behind and ran into second place. Barbara Riveros Diaz of Chile came across for third, despite having to serve two time penalties.

“Daniela went (on the bike) and I thought she’s a strong cyclist, I should go with her and we just pulled away from there. We worked well together and that’s the key when you’re away,” said Samuels.

Tough conditions greeted 64 women for the start of the race, including strong winds, rain and challenging surf forcing the women to battle with choppy sets of waves. After the one-lap swim, Moffatt and Liz Blatchford led the women out of the water and into transition.

But early in the seven-lap, 40km bike course, Samuels and Swiss Daniela Ryf broke away from the pack, leaving the likes of Moffatt, Lisa Norde n, Paula Findlay,Barbara Riveros, Sarah Groff, Kerry Lang and Blatchford behind. What was initially a seven-second lead soon ballooned to more than 90 seconds after five laps. Ryf and Samuels worked exceptionally well together to build the lead while the chase pack continued to lose ground.

At the midway point of the run, Samuels was running strong and looked to have the win wrapped up, owning a lead of 37 seconds over Ryf. Moffatt and Riveros Diaz continued to push ahead and soon reeled in Ryf to take second and third place. Their next target was Samuels but the Kiwi was still going strong and wasn’t about to be caught.The leaders ended the second transition and hit the four-lap run course with a healthy two-minute lead. On the first lap of the hilly 10km run, Samuels made a move and opened up a slim five-second lead on Ryf. Both Moffatt and Riveros also dug in and began to chip away at the lead, trailing by 90 seconds after the first lap. Findlay and Blatchford were running a further ten seconds behind. Also making up serious ground early in the run were last year’s champion Vendula Frintova and Lauren Campbell, the Canadian Olympian who missed all of last year with injury.

“To tell you the truth I wasn’t too confident I’d be able to hold the lead,” said Samuels after the race. “Then I thought I had a good head start and couldn’t ask for anything more. Once I had it on the third lap I thought I should be able to hold this.”

Despite a two-time world champion bearing down her, Samuels held onto the lead right through to the finish line, stopping the clock at 2 hours, 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Moffatt came back strong on the run for the silver, finishing 20 seconds behind. Riveros Diaz was forced to stop to serve a pair of time penalties late in the run but still managed to take bronze, a further 23 seconds behind Moffatt.

“It’s a tough course and I don’t really think it gets much tougher than this so it’s a great way to start the year,” said Moffatt.

Findlay out-sprinted Frintova for fourth place, ten seconds back of Riveros. Ryf, who had been ill recently, finished up in sixth position.

Elite Women

1.	Nicky Samuels	NZL	02:03:13
2.	Emma Moffatt	AUS	02:03:34
3.	Barbara Riveros Diaz	CHI	02:03:56
4.	Paula Findlay	CAN	02:04:07
5.	Vendula Frintova	CZE	02:04:07
6.	Daniela Ryf	SUI	02:04:29
7.	Liz Blatchford	GBR	02:04:39
8.	Sarah Groff	USA	02:04:42
9.	Lauren Campbell	CAN	02:04:58
10.	Kerry Lang	GBR	02:05:11

Emma Snowsill talks about the upcoming season 2011

2011-03-12T03:41:00.001Z

Snowie speaks to Ian Hansen about training, the season and baboons.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/snowsill-rivals-moffatt-in-fast-lane-to-london/story-e6frg7mf-1226019970295

2011 Wellington OTU Triathlon Oceania Championships - Vicky Holland (Queen of N.Z.)

2011-03-12T03:26:00.001Z

Vicky Holland (Queen of N.Z.) victorious at ITU Oceania Champs and Contact Tri Series

In the women’s race Vicky Holland (GBR) continued her love affair with New Zealand this summer, taking out the final round of the Contact Tri Series in Wellington in a race that like the men also carried New Zealand championship status and ITU Oceania Championships – albeit the British triathlete wasn’t eligible for either honour. She was up for the prize money and the prestige though on a blustery but warm Wellington day, breaking away from doughty Czech Republic triahtlete Vendula Frintova to win by 8 seconds, backing up from her Takapuna victory last month.

"I think I am three from three, it’s not bad down here, I think I like it! I had a rough start in the swim but it came together and I was in the lead pack on the bike, took a few turns and felt good heading out on to the run feeling like a could run well. I was yo-yoing off the back of Vendula for a few laps but on the last lap when I sensed her dropping off a bit and surged and took the victory.”

Holland did struggle at times with the blustery Southerly, albeit one blowing only gently for the locals lining the course in their thousands.

"The wind was crazy, one second you are hardly moving because it is so strong then you turn a corner and you are down through the gears and the speed is incredible, it was pretty comical really but so long as you are prepared it doesn’t make a difference and is the same for everyone.”

Ashleigh Gentle (Australia) ran strongly for third place and the Oceania title. Best of the Kiwis was 20 year old Rebecca Kingsford (Tirau) as she upstaged her more experienced rivals to not only claim Kiwi honours but in the process win the Oceania U23 title in coming home 6th overall.

"I’m over the moon, I didn’t expect to be best Kiwi, Andrea was unfortunate with her mishap but she still ran pretty good and I just didn’t want her to past me and sprinted at the end so yeah, it was good. I have sorted out a few medical problems from last year and it is all going good, I’m working hard with my coaches and looking forward to a big season.”

The bad luck story of the day though belonged to world number six Andrea Hewitt, the defending champion looked to be in great form and was comfortably in the lead group early on the bike, only to stop twice, first to check what appeared to be a puncture and then again a lap later when her rear tyre exploded in spectacular fashion. Hewitt lost over 3 minutes but carried on to finish in 6th thanks to the fourth fastest run split of the day.~

"On the first lap I must have got a nail or something in the wheel, I could feel something bumping, I stopped to change the wheel but it was still pumped up so I kept going but on the next lap ‘boom’ it went and I had no choice to but stop and change the wheel. It is a real bummer, I was feeling good and in a good position and then this, it is pretty much the same as crashing, it puts you out of the race really.”

Not surprisingly given their limited preparation, both Debbie Tanner and Kate McIlroy struggled with the pace on the run with Tanner dropping back to finish 7th and McIlroy calling it a day early on the run, content with a strong hit out on the swim and bike. The day saw close to one thousand participants in events ranging from the children’s Contact 1:2:1 to the beginners Contact 3:9:3 and age group racing with national titles and qualification for the Beijing World Championships on the line. Full results can be viewed at www.triseries.co.nz later on Saturday.

Contact Tri Series Wellington 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run Incorporating the ITU Oceania Championships (Oceania nations only) and NZ Standard Distance Championships (New Zealanders only)

Elite Women 1 Vicky Holland GBR 2:05:12 2 Vendula Frintova CZE 2:05:20 3 Ashleigh Gentle AUS 2:06:06 4 Elizabeth May LUX 2:07:03 5 Charlotte McShane AUS 2:07:46 6 Andrea Hewitt Chch/NZL 2:08:09 7 Debbie Tanner Auck/NZL 2:08:21 8 Felicity Sheedy-Ryan AUS 2:08:27 9 Lisa Marangon AUS 2:10:53 10 Yuko Takahashi JPN 2:14:06

Elite Men 1Kris Gemmell PNth/NZL 1:51:46 2 Aaron Royle AUS 1:51:51 3 Cameron Good AUS 1:52:35 4 Tony Dodds Wanaka/NZL 1:52:40 5 Martin Van Barneveld Wgtn/NZL 1:52:43 6 David Matthews AUS 1:52:58 7 Ryan Fisher AUS 1:53:02 8 James Elvery Chch/NZL 1:53:22 9 Drew Box AUS 1:53:29 10 Jesse Featonby AUS 1:53:34

TRI NZ

Images: Mike Heydon

Paris European indoor athletics 2011

2011-03-06T22:28:00.000Z

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Men's 60m final

Obikwelu snatches shock gold

European outdoor 100m champion Christophe Lemaitre’s dream of adding the continental 60m indoor crown foundered as the two ‘old men’ of the piece Francis Obikwelu and Dwain Chambersshowed him the way in an electricity charged final.

Lemaitre aged just 20 started a clear favourite to strike gold after leading the qualifiers in yesterday’s semi-finals, but what was expected to be further affirmation of his rising sprint status was wrecked as Obikwelu took victory by 0.01 in 6.53 from his fellow 32-year-old Dwain Chambers.

Instead, the French athlete had to settle for the ‘consolation’ of bronze in 6.58 and on this occasion had to bow to his more experienced rivals.

For Obikwelu, in particular, it was a remarkable resurgence to top form after a series of injury problems. The 2004 Olympic 100m silver medallist and 2006 European 100m champion has barely registered at the sharp end of men’s sprinting for some time. Yet he looked impressive through the rounds and rolled back the years to once again produce a top class sprint performance.

His time of 6.53 was a new national record not to mention European lead time and at 32 years and 104 days the Nigerian-born athlete became the oldest winner of this title eclipsing the previous record held by Great Britain’s Jason Gardener. He was also the first Portuguese athlete to win a sprint medal in the 41-year history of the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

“I don’t know how to explain how I feel,” said Obikwelu in the immediate wake of his success. “I’ve had injuries for such a long time and to come back and win is incredible. I was hoping for a top three, but I never thought I was going to win. I knew it was going to be a dangerous final, I’m so happy to compete with a guy like Dwain (Chambers). I’m just full of joy.”

A philosophical Lemaitre said: “I don’t know why it didn’t work out. Maybe, it was the start. In this race if you get one thing wrong you miss out. I’m glad to get a medal but at the same time I’m miserable not to be able to win. I know I had the potential to do it but I failed.”

Inside an atmospheric Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy expectation was high Lemaitre, the triple European outdoor sprint champion from Barcelona last year, could add another title to what had already been a hugely successful championships for the host nation.

Lemaitre even tried to psychologically impose his will on his seven rivals by making them wait for him to settle in his blocks last. If the aim was to unsettle his opponents, though, it clearly did not work.

The French athlete made his usual sloppy start while Chambers and Obikwelu got away far better. As the race progressed the pair of 32-year-olds opened up a small though noticeable gap on the rest of the field while most eyes inside the stadium were fixed on Lemaitre. Would he charge through the field with his trademark late run to grab gold?

Not on this occasion. The gap never really appeared to narrow and a few strides from the line the Parisian crowd were resigned to the fact that their man would not bring home the gold on this occasion. Instead, it was the high-stepping Obikwelu and Chambers who flashed past the finish line vying for the big prize. With the naked eye it was very difficult to separate the pair who both embraced one another and smiled after the race.

Within a few moments it was announced that the Portuguese had shaded the decision by just 0.01 from Chambers with Lemaitre receiving a hearty cheer for securing bronze. Much credit should also go to Italy’s Emanuele Di Gregorio, the bronze medallist from the last edition of these championships, who snatched fourth in 6.59 – just 0.01 behind Lemaitre.

In fifth the second string French athlete Martial Mbandjock equalled his personal best from the semi-final of 6.61 to take fifth. Brian Mariano (6.64) of the Netherlands claimed sixth with Switzerland’s Cedric Nabe (6.67) and Ryan Moseley of Austria rounding out the other finalists.

But perhaps the final word should go to Chambers, the 2009 champion, who succinctly summed up events in the final by adding: “Today, we have shown the older guys can still run.”